I have gotten to a point where I am wondering what to do next and want your advice/opinions, is it time to start looking for another job or is it time to train up more whilst I have a job?

I have got an A Level in Computing and one in IT as well as a GCSE in IT, but that is really about as far as IT related certificates go.

I originally joined this job to assist with a website and have sort of progressed into managing their network etc. Obviously previous to managing their network I had created a small practise network at home (that's still going), that I tested things on before going live anywhere else.

When I originally arrived they had 6 computers and 1 server on the network. The workstations were...slow, to memory the most powerful one was an Athlon 3600. Their server was a clapped out Dell that sounded like a helicopter. Their network relied on a switch that looked older than me and a modem that would freeze and crash on a regular basis.

We currently now have 3 servers and 13 workstations and various CNC machines. The 3 servers may seem a little overkill, but this site is operational 24 hours a day and we technically have two businesses using one network, so redundancy is key. The network is now all Cat5e based with a Cisco smart switch at the helm. Problems are rare and so I have eventually started getting back to my original job of websites, but have found that they are not as enjoyable as before.

I don't mind doing them, but at the same time I would prefer to be sorting out other things. Also to ensure that I don't do myself out of a job I have started assisting other departments with workloads. I am pretty sure my job is safe, but is anything these days?

So the question I am asking is – with little to show in the way of certificates has all this gone a little bit to waste? I have read a lot of sites (especially Spiceworks), a lot of the Microsoft Certification books, watched a lot of videos, tested a lot of theories etc. But does any of that stuff mean anything outside of my current job? Or is now the time to start training Microsoft Certs or A+? Or is it time to move on to a new challenge and hope that experience carries a lot?

When choosing between someone who has demonstrated their skills and shown that they can bring value to a business, against someone with a handful of certificates, I always choose the person with experience.

Certificates are only of use if you are trying to get your foot in the door and need to show that you have the aptitude. From the sound of it you are well past this point.

This is just my opinion and you will find others that swear black and blue that certificates mandatory.

6 Replies

When choosing between someone who has demonstrated their skills and shown that they can bring value to a business, against someone with a handful of certificates, I always choose the person with experience.

Certificates are only of use if you are trying to get your foot in the door and need to show that you have the aptitude. From the sound of it you are well past this point.

This is just my opinion and you will find others that swear black and blue that certificates mandatory.

it sounds like you have a good job setup there and i am in a similar situation as you. I would suggest doing a CompTIA course like the A+ and Network+ or you may want to do a vendor cert like MCP or CCNET/CCNA.

It sounds like you are past the point of the A+. That is an entry level cert to do far less than you are doing now. If the A+ helps you get your next job, you don't want that job. Network+ would be decent.

My background was originally not a million miles away from yours. What I found out from doing an MS Cert (a Win 2k one which is probably similar to starting down the track of MCPIT now) was that generally the certs were either useless or aimed at the medium end of SMEs and larger.

That wasn't where I wanted to work so after gaining enough experience, which as I think most people here would agree is worth a lot more than certs, I started my own IT company serving SMEs. Its hard work but so far no regrets.